Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [600]
Lisnaskea is the main town, with shops, pubs, ATMs and a post office. An island at the north end of the lough, near Lisbellaw, is home to the Belle Isle School of Cookery ( 6638 7231; www.irish-cookery-school.com), which offers a range of cookery and wine courses lasting from one day to four weeks, with luxurious accommodation in Belle Isle Castle and its estate cottages. One-day courses cost £120-140, not including accommodation.
Crom Estate
Home to the largest area of natural woodland in Northern Ireland, the National Trust’s beautiful Crom Estate ( 6773 8118; Newtownbutler; adult/child £3/1; grounds 10am-7pm Jun-Aug, to 6pm mid-Mar–May & Sep-Nov; visitor centre 10am-6pm Easter–mid-Sep, 10am-6pm Sat & Sun late Mar & late Sep–early Oct, Sun only late Oct) is a haven for pine martens, rare bats and many species of bird.
You can walk from the visitor centre to the ruins of old Crom Castle, with its ancient walled garden, abandoned bowling green and gnarled yew trees, and views over the reed-fringed lough to an island folly. There are rowing boats for hire (£6 per hour).
Check the National Trust website (www.ntni.org.uk) for details on bat-watching and other wildlife events.
The estate is on the eastern shore of the Upper Lough, 5km west of Newtownbutler.
Tours
The Inishcruiser ( 6772 2122; adult/child/family £7.50/5.50/21; 2.30pm Sun & public hols Easter-Sep) offers 1½- to two-hour cruises on the lough leaving from the Share Holiday Village, 5km southwest of Lisnaskea.
Activities
Day boats can be hired for fishing or exploring from Knockninny Marina ( 6774 8590; near Derrylin) on the west shore of the lough; rates are £50/70 per half-/full-day for a six-seater motor boat with cabin. The marina also rents bikes for £7/12 a half-/full-day. It’s signposted from the main road just north of Derrylin.
Guests and day visitors at the Share Holiday Village ( 6772 2122; www.sharevillage.org) near Lisnaskea can take part in canoeing, windsurfing, dinghy sailing, archery, orienteering and other activities for £12 per person per 2½-hour session.
Sleeping & Eating
Lisnaskea Caravan Park ( 6772 1040; Gola Rd, Mullynascarty; tent/caravan sites £9/13; Apr-Oct) This local council–run site enjoys a beautiful wooded setting on the banks of the Colebrooke River about 2km northwest of Lisnaskea, on the B514 road towards Enniskillen.
Share Holiday Village ( 6772 2122; www.sharevillage.org; Smiths Strand, Lisnaskea; tent/caravan sites £10/15; Easter-Sep) Share is a charity that works towards the integration of people with and without disabilities through a range of activities and courses. The holiday village is mostly occupied by groups, but it also has a touring site with space for nine caravans and 24 tents. Booking is strongly recommended. The village is 5km southwest of Lisnaskea, off the B127.
Donn Carragh Hotel ( 6772 1206; www.donncarraghhotel.com; Main St, Lisnaskea; s/d from £45/80; ) There’s not too much in the way of hotel or B&B accommodation around Upper Lough Erne; this pleasant but unexceptional 18-room hotel in the middle of Lisnaskea is the best of what there is.
Knockninny House ( 6774 8590; www.knockninnyhouse.com; near Derrylin; r per person from £45; ) A Victorian villa built in the 1870s and Lough Erne’s first hotel, Knockninny House enjoys an idyllic lakeside setting, and now offers accommodation in seven country-style bedrooms. There’s also a restaurant with an outdoor terrace overlooking the marina, where you can take afternoon tea, and a tiny sandy beach.
Kissin Crust ( 6772 2678; 125 Main St, Lisnaskea; mains £3-6; 8.30am-5pm Mon-Sat) Very popular with local people, this friendly coffee shop is stacked with home-baked apple pie, lemon meringue pie, quiches and scones, and serves up a lunch menu of homemade soup, freshly made sandwiches and a hot dish of the day.
Getting There & Away
From Enniskillen, Ulsterbus service 95 runs along the east side of the lough to Lisnaskea (£3, 30 minutes, five daily